For the kids who find themselves suffering from cough and colds, an old time practice of using vapor rub is still the best solution. The ancient practice has been used to soothe kids (and even adults) who had coughs and colds which help them in their respiratory problems and thus affecting their sleep. And with the support of the folks over at the Penn State College of Medicine, it looks like vapor rub application is still the best way to go.

Vapor rubs, containing menthol, camphor and eucalyptus oils, have been used for over a century without published evidence to support their use. The most common side effect cited with the use of the vapor rub was a burning sensation of the skin which seems to be natural. And with the cold seasons coming, there is no doubt you better get hold of these vapor rubs just in case.

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Rather than rely on sleeping pills, it seems that jogging is a better way to get some well-deserved and healthy shuteye. This is thanks to a new research which shows that 20 to 45 minutes of exercise can help you get to “LALA land” faster and safer.

Tests on insomnia sufferers found that gentle aerobic exercise cured their condition. They showed that regular aerobic exercise improved the quality of sleep, mood and vitality.

The study is said to be the first to examine the effect of aerobic exercise on middle-aged and older adults with a diagnosis of insomnia.

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Weird as it sounds, it seems strange to find how partners would be envious seeing their mate sleeping while they remain awake for some reason. And studies seem to indicated that this is a common trend for couples where the partner who is awake would do some things to awaken or just disturb the sleeping person beside him or her.

The most common revenge is to simply toss and turn until their bleary-eyed husband is awake. The next best thing is an “accidental” poke or prod in the ribs. Some admitted using less subtle tactics such as chatting until they got a response, making a loud noise and even turning on the light or television.

Have you experienced such a thing as sleep envy? We would love to hear your thoughts and your stand on it if you have.

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While the Spring does bring in a lot of good things, sleep is something that tends to be affected. No thanks to extended daylight, teenagers find themselves coping with the extended daylight exposure and hence incurring some sleep problems as supported by researchers over at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lighting Research Center (LRC).

Over time when coupled with having to rise early for school, this delay in sleep onset may lead to teen sleep deprivation and mood changes, and increase risk of obesity and perhaps under-performance in school. The new findings detail the impact of early evening light in spring on melatonin onset and sleep times.

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While the occurrence is rare, brain damage has now been linked to potential sleep risks. This may not necessarily be surprising but with a back up from a sleep study, who unfortunately have to deal with traumatic experiences associated with their brain are likely to suffer from reduced amounts of melatonin and cause sleep problems.

Australian researchers found that:

• Healthy people produce more melatonin than do people with brain injuries during evening hours, when the chemical is supposed to rise to trigger sleep.
• Patients with brain injury spent less time in bed actually sleeping; that is, they had less “sleep efficiency.”
• Brain injury patients spent more time awake after first falling asleep.
• Brain-injured people spent more time in non-REM sleep.
• Patients with brain injuries had more symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Image Credits: Wikipedia

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Just when you thought that actress Gwyneth Paltrow has everything in order, she reveals that she too has been having problems with sleeping comfortably. Paltrow admits that she doesn’t get enough sleep and has even turned to a book, “Light’s Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival” by T.S. Wiley to get some sensible shuteye.

Some of Paltrow’s health concerns she discussed with her doctor include aging and hormonal imbalances, something that affects some women in their mid to late 30s. Paltrow’s doctors advised her to get some natural sunlight everyday, relaxation techniques before bed, eliminating caffeine and an adequate fitness regime to help her get at least eight hours of solid sleep per night.

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(Source) My Fox Nepa

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The name could use some work but considering that Aswagandha is an Indian herb to help you sleep, it is not surprising why weird and hard to remember herbs are bound to have some medical benefits. Aswagandha is actually a scientific term for Withania somnifera and induces sleep for people suffering from insomnia. It calms the body and mind thus leading to eventual slumber.

Aswagandha’s odour is not palatable. It smells like a horse’s sweat. But its health benefits range from fighting insomnia to improving fertility levels, and from controlling diabetes to keeping epilepsy under check. It improves the muscles, fights fatigue and brings down the levels of trauma and suffering.

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(Source) Asian Age

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The Almorexant insomnia drug from Actelion seems to be far from safe for now. After late-stage trials showed unspecified safety concerns, this drug which was supposed to be another medical alternative may not be suitable until they pinpoint the real safety constraint surrounding this sleep drug. More data was reportedly needed and unless that issue has been ironed out, sleep deprived individuals may as well avoid the sleep drug for now to avoid health complications that may be brought about.

Several safety observations had been made in results over 16 days from the Phase III study and more late-stage trials of the drug would be necessary for approval.

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(Source) Reuters

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It has been common logic for most of us to play some music to sleep and while we sleep. The first is of course to lull us to sleep while the second is to relax us and get our minds as calm as possible. But it seems that the latter seems to do more than that. Playing music while sleeping has been said to improve memory, especially for students who are preparing for an exam or test the next day.

Scientists at Northwestern University report that playing specific sounds while people slept helped them remember more of what they had learned before they fell sleep, to the point where memories of individual facts were enhanced. Playing music while sleeping has been known to reap some rewards. This was normally practiced for babies in the developmental stages. Apparently it works further than that. I wonder if it works on older people too?

Image Credits: NY Daily News

(Source) NY Times

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Adaptive Sound Technologies is gearing up to help more sleep deprived people and it all starts from the customers who have already tried their technology with the EcoTones and EcoTones Duet. ASTI has launched a “Tell A Friend Program” to reward customers who have been endorsing this new form of sleep therapy by letting their comrades and friends try it as well.

ASTI-registered customers as of October 1, 2009 and new customers who subsequently buy directly from ASTI are enrolled in the program automatically and are sent a unique referral code shortly after their Ecotones or Ecotones Duet arrives that they can pass along to friends. For each referred friend who purchases and retains an Ecotones Adaptive Sound Machine for 30 days or more, referrers are paid a cash reward equal to ten percent of the purchase price of the highest value unit purchased by their friend.

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(Source) Press

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